---
title: Usability Testing
description: Usability testing is the practice of evaluating a product by testing it with real users to identify design flaws. You will understand how to design test scenarios, facilitate sessions, analyze user behavior, and implement feedback to improve product interfaces.
category: arts-design
subcategory: ui/ux-design
difficulty: beginner, intermediate, advanced
url: /subject/usability-testing
---

# Usability Testing

Usability testing is the practice of evaluating a product by testing it with real users to identify design flaws. You will understand how to design test scenarios, facilitate sessions, analyze user behavior, and implement feedback to improve product interfaces.

## Available Resources

2 Books • 1 Courses • 4 Websites

## Websites

### 1. Usability.gov

US government guide to planning and running usability tests, originally maintained by HHS: explains test types, what to measure, how to recruit participants and write task scenarios, and provides downloadable templates such as test plans, consent forms, and report formats.

**Difficulty:** Beginner | **Price:** Free

**Link:** https://digital.gov/topics/usability/

**Tags:** usability-testing, ux-research, test-planning, research-templates

### 2. Nielsen Norman Group

Nielsen Norman Group's introductory article on usability testing: defines the facilitator, participant, and task roles, explains why tests are run, and compares qualitative and quantitative, in-person and remote, and moderated and unmoderated formats, including what a basic study costs.

**Difficulty:** Beginner | **Price:** Free

**Link:** https://www.nngroup.com/articles/usability-testing-101/

**Tags:** usability-testing, ux-research, user-testing, qualitative-research

### 3. nngroup.com

NN/g (Nielsen Norman Group) is a leading UX research and consulting firm that publishes evidence-based articles on usability, interaction design, and user experience best practices. It also offers training, reports, and resources to help teams apply proven UX methods to digital products.

**Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Language:** English | **Price:** Free

**Link:** https://nngroup.com

**Tags:** websites, humanities-social-sciences, cognitive-science

### 4. UX Collective

Independent online publication, founded by Fabricio Teixeira and Caio Braga, publishing practitioner essays on UX research, interaction and interface design, design systems, accessibility and design careers. Its weekly newsletter curates industry writing, helping designers keep current with practice and critique.

**Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Language:** English | **Price:** Free

**Link:** https://uxdesign.cc

**Tags:** ux-design, interaction-design, ux-research, design-systems, product-design

## Courses

### 1. Usability Testing Masterclass

Master usability testing with expert-led training. Learn to improve your designs and user experience.

**Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Price:** Free

**Link:** https://www.nngroup.com/courses/usability-testing/

**Tags:** usability-testing, ux-research, test-facilitation, research-methods

## Books

### 1. Rocket Surgery Made Easy

**Author:** Steve Krug

Steve Krug's short, practical handbook for running do-it-yourself usability tests on a small budget. Covers recruiting participants, scripting and moderating sessions, having the team observe, and turning a morning of testing into a focused list of fixes.

**Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Language:** English | **Price:** Paid

**Link:** https://www.amazon.com/dp/0321657292?tag=edmonddante07-20

**Tags:** books, arts-design, uiux-design

### 2. Handbook of Usability Testing

**Author:** Jeffrey Rubin, Dana Chisnell

A comprehensive reference on planning, conducting, and reporting usability tests. Walks through writing a test plan, choosing participants, moderating sessions, collecting and analyzing data, and presenting findings, so readers can run rigorous tests of software, websites, and products.

**Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Language:** English | **Price:** Paid

**Link:** https://www.amazon.com/dp/0470185481?tag=edmonddante07-20

**Tags:** books, arts-design, uiux-design

---

*This content is part of Dantes.io - Your Treasure Map to Knowledge*

*Curated by humans at Dantes.io. Personal study use welcome; republishing this curation requires permission (team@dantes.io).*

View this page online: https://dantes.io/subject/usability-testing